Apparatus for transferring freight



June 24, 1930. B. F. FITCH 1,766,619

' APPARATIjS FQR TRANSFERRING FREIGHT Filed Oct. 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 (\c L {A June 24, 1930. F|TH 1,766,619

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING FREIGHT Filed Oct. 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ZZZ-t,

.. TATIES PATENT @FICE BENJAMIN F. FITCH, OF GREENW'ICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MOTOR TERMINALS COM'EANY, OF WELT/ENGTON, DELAWAEE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING FREIGHT Application filed Gctober 27, 1928.

This invention relates to a freight handling system wherein removable containers are provided which are adapted to be transported by a vehicle to a transfer point and there removed with the contained load from the vehicle, and thereafter another loaded container deposited on the vehicle or vice versa. 'As such containers to be eficient must be of considerable size, some hoisting and transv porting mechanism is essential for removing or replacing the loaded container. My invention is more particularly concerned with the transfer of container to and from freight cars of electric interurban lines having'overhead trolley wires, and it is an object of the invention to provide hoisting and transportin mechanism of very simple and efficient form so arranged that it may readily move the load supporting cables across the normal line of the trolley wire, and which may be installed at comparatively small expense.

My invention contemplates a superstructure located adjacent the side of the railway track and having an overhead trackway on which is a traveling crane which may raise and transport laterally a removable body, associated with means for shifting the trolley wire laterally with the crane, such trolley wire being normally in position for car movement while the crane is in position to be performing work at the side of the railroad track. 7 More particularly, I propose in this invention to carry an intermediate portion of the trolley wire which is at the transfer point by brackets extending laterally from the hoist itself so that the trolley wire section may be in alignment with the main trolley wire while the hoist is in position to have its raising cables, of which there are preferably four, engage a removable body on a truck or support at the side of the car. Thus the hoist may be in the act of raising or supporting a removable body while the way is open for an electric car to pass without interference through the transfer structure.

Preferably, I provide superstructures on opposite sides of the railway track connected by a bridge, above the horizontal plane of the trolley wire, carrylng crane tracks, and I mount on these tracks atra-vehng crane whlch Serial No. 315,449.

has two sets of lateral brackets extending respectively from opposite edges thereof, each set of brackets carrying a trolley-wheelguide. One of these guides is in alignment with the main trolley wire when the hoist is in one extreme position, and the other guide is similarly active when the hoist is in the opposite extreme position. Thus the hoist may operate on either side and still leave the trolley line in condition for continuous electric car operation. Such an apparatus is illus trated in the drawings hereof, and is hereinafter more fully explained.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation transversely of an electric railway track of two side superstructures, and an overhead crane trackway; Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of such installation, the roof being omitted; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the hoist frame, illustrating the relation of the removable container, the traveling crane and the trolley wheel uides which it carries; Fig. 5 is a de tail in vertical section adjacent one end of the continuous trolley wire, as indicated by the section line 5-5 on Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, A represents an electric railway track, B the usual suspended trolley wire therefor, and C an electric fiat car adapted to travel on such rail s by electric power. This fiat car may have a cab 0 and a trolley pole c. D indicates the re movable body, which may be mounted on the flat car in the rear of the cab. This body is preferably of such size that it may also readily fit on an automobile truck (as indicated at E in Fig. 1) so that the body may be interchanged as desired between the truck and flat car. The body may be provided with suitable doors (Z, and at the eves with hooks or eyes (Z' or other means for attachment of raising cables.

In Figs. 1 and 3, I have shown superstructures located opposite each other on both sides of thetrack and connected by a bridge, thus providing a continuous overhead sup port. for the crane with its trolley-wheel guide. Such superstructures have upright posts 10, suitable cross beams 11 and tie members 12. They carry a pair of crane tr cks Inn bridging across the railway track space. These tracks are shown as m unted on brackets 16 carried by the posts 10.

The tracks 15 carry a suitable crane 20 having four raising cables 21 terminating at their lower ends in hooks or eyes. Mounted on the crane frame is a suitable mechanism for pulling up these cables as a unit. The mechanism shown comprises a rotatable screw 24 (Fig. 3). a traveling nut 27) thereon, and guide bars 26 for the nut. The cables 21 pass upwardly from their free ends over sheaves 27 and thence around sheaves 28 and 29, and are finally anchored to the nut 25.

, Accordingly, the rotation of the screw oper-' ates to simultaneously raise or lower all four of the load engaging ends, which may be hooked to the hooks or eyes of the container. The screw may be rotated by any suitable means, as for instance an electric motor 30, which may receive its power from the trolley circuit. The crane preferably has also a motor 31 geared with one of the supporting wheels 32, whereby the crane may be shifted along its track.

Normally the raising cables and lift hooks are entirely out of the way of the electric car, being at one side of the normal right-ofway, as shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, the

car may run freely past the transfer structhe transfer structure.

ture. It is desirable however,that the trolley wire be normally continued through the structure either in the form of the wire or an inverted trough, so that the car may run continuously without attention to the trolley ole, when the hoist mechanismis not innse.

owever, to use the hoist mechanism to raise a body and shift it laterally to or from the car, it is necessary to provide some means whereby the trolley wire will not interfere with the lateral movement of the supporting cables.

To accomplish the last mentioned characteristic, I terminate the trolley wire proper adjacent the two ends of the superstructure,

and support the tree ends'by suitable guides b (Fig. 5), and I mount twointermediate sections of the trolley wire on two sets of brackets extending laterally from the hoist frame, one section or the other being normal- 1 in registration withthe main trolley wire. hese brackets are shown at 35 and 36 can ing the intermediate sections 37 and 38 0 the trolley wire. Each section is shown as an inverted trough adapted to be engaged by the flanges of the trolley wheel, but if desired, it could be a wire or bar engaging in the groove of the trolley wheel.

Either trolley wire section is adapted to align with the permanent trolley wires B, sis-illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, when the hoist is in the corresponding extreme position, and thus make a'continuous guiding member for the trolley wheel as the car runs past The crane may be normally locked in either of these extreme positions by means not shown. The crane may operate in such locked position to elevate or lower a load from or to the truck E or a suitable support as F. lVhen it is desired to use the crane to trolley the load, it is only necessary to unlock the crane and energize its trolleying motor 31 whereupon it may move the load from either side and deposit it on the flat car. Or the reverse operation may carry the body from the flat car to either side.

The intermediate trolley wire sections 37 and 38 may be connected electrically with the trolley wire by a suitable conductor so that substantially continuous current is provided to the car motor, or the sections may be dead and momentum relied on'to carry the trolley car through the hoist structure.

In ordinary operation of the construction described, thehoist frame 20 is looked in one of the side positions asshown in Fig. 1, and the electric car operates in a normal'manner without regard to the transfer apparatus. Now, when it is desired to use the transfer mechanism, to carry a loaded body from a truck for example to an empty flatten-the hoist may pick up the load from the truck and support it until the fiat car arrives while the truck may drive away for other dut After the car has arrived the hoist is simp y trolleyed to the centralposition and the body deposited on the car, after which the hoist resumes one of its ezxtremepositions, andthe car may proceed on its route. Or if afitrolley car witha loaded body is brought into position beneath the crane trackway the crane is then brought to central position and the cables lowerediand connected to the body, and the body may then be raised by the electric motor 30, and'thereafter transportedlmterally by the motor 31, both receiving current from the trolley circuit. The body is thus brought to the side of the railroad track, where it may for instance be deposited on suitable supports or horses F or on the automobile truck E indicated'in Fig. 1. The apparatus is simple in construction and its operations may be quickly performed.

I claim 1. In an apparatus for transferring freight, the combination of a railway track and a trolley wire above it, of. a structure alongside of the railway track, and laterally movable traveling hoisting mechanism carried by such structure, the1,-ontiriiioiis trolley wire being replaced by a-movable sectiomcarried by a laterally movable portion of the hoistat one side thereof, whereby the trolley wire may be substantially continuous while the load engaging portion of the hoist is in position for operation-at the side of the railway track.

2. In an apparatus fortransfer'ring freight to or from electric'cars having demountable bodies, the combination of a railway track and a trolley wire above it, a structure alongside of the track, hoist mechanism mounted on said structure and adapted to engage a movable body on a car on the track, two sections of the trolley wire at opposite ends of the structure being interrupted and the hoist frame carrying laterally movable trolley wheel guide between such interrupted ends so positioned-in the hoistframe that it is adapted to register with the fixed trolley wire sections when the hoist is in operating position at the side of the track.

3. In an apparatus for transferring freight, the combination of a railway track and a trolley wire above it, of a structure alongside of the railway track, and a traveling crane carried by such structure and having depending raising mechanism, the continuous trolley wire bein replaced adjacent such structure by a movable section carried by the crane in a position laterally beyond the depending raising mechanism.

l. The combination with a railway track and a trolley wire above it, of a supporting structure at the side thereof, laterally movable hoisting mechanism carried by such structure and having four depending raising cables, and means mounted on the hoist J mechanism for supporting a trolley-wheelguide on the same side of all four cables and adapted to stand in alignment with the trolley wire.

5. In an apparatus for transferring freight, the combination with a railway track, of a supporting structure alongside of the track, a trackway on said structure, a traveling crane on such t-rackway, and two parallel guides for an under-running trolley wheel, said guides being mounted on said crane and shiftable with it.

6. In an apparatus for transferring freight, to or from electric cars adapted to carry demountable bodies, the combination of a railway track and a trolley wire above it, a structure alongside of the track, a traveling crane mounted on said structure and hav a c spending cable adapted to engage *b a movable body on a car on the track, the two sections of the trolley wire at opposite ends of the structure being interrupted, two trolley wheel guides between such interrupted ends either adapted to register therewith, and means on the crane carrying said guides on opposite sides of the raising cable.

7. The combination with a railway track and a trolley wire above it, of supporting structures at opposite sides thereof carrying a bridge over the railway track, hoisting mechanism carried by such structure and adapted to be moved from either side to a position above the track, said hoist mechanism carrying two trolley wheel guides either adapted to align with the trolley wire.

8. The combination with a railway track and a trolley wire above it, of superstructures on opposite sides thereof, a crane trackway carried thereby and spanning the railroad track above the horizontal plane of the trolley wire, a traveling crane on said trackway, two guides for the trolley wheel either of which is adapted to be positioned over the railway'track and means projecting from opposite sides of the crane for carrying said guides.

9. The combination of a railway track, of supporting structures on opposite sides there of, a trackway carried by said structures and bridging across the space above the railway track, a traveling crane on such trackway equipped with four raising cables adapted to engage a removable body on a car on the railway track, means mounted on the crane for supporting a trolley wheel guide at one side of all four cables, said guide being adapted to register with trolley wires when the crane is in an active position beyond the railway track.

10. The combination with a railway track, a trolley wire above it, of a structure alongside of the track having a crane trackway extending above the railway track, a crane movable along said trackway, four raising cables depending from said crane and adapted to be connected to a removable body on an electric car below the crane, and a trolley wheel guide mounted on the crane on one side of all four cables and shiftable with it to enable some of the hoist cables to be shifted laterally past the vertical plane of the trolley wire.

11. In an apparatus for transferring freight to or from electric cars having removable bodies, the combination of a railway track on which the cars may run, a trolley wire above said track, a pair of structures opposite each other and on opposite sides of the track, a transverse crane trackway on said structures bridging the space above the railway track, a traveling crane on such bridging track having hoisting mechanism and four depending cables adapted to be lowered to engage the removable body on the railway car, there being space within the structure on either side of the railway track for receiving or depositing a removable body, and a trolley wheel guide carried by the crane on one side of all four cables and adapted to register with the trolley wire to make a con-i tinuous path for the trolley wheel from one end of the structure to the other.

12. In an apparatus for transferring freight to or from electric cars having removable bodies, the combination of a railway track on which the cars may run, a trolley wire above said track, a pair of structures opposite each other and on opposite sides of the track, and connected together above the plane of the trolley wire, a pair of crane 4- magma trunks on said structures higher than the trolley wire and bridging the space above the irailway track, a traveling crane on such bridging tracks having hoisting mechanism 5 and depending cable adapted to be lowered to engage the removable body on the railway car, there being space within the structure'on either side of-the railway track for receiving or depositing a removable body, 10 brackets extending in opposite directions from the crane frame, and two trolley guides uuzried by said brackets respectively, and nob adopted-to register with'the'trolley wire tmmake a continuous path for the trolley 35 wheel from one end of the structure to the er. In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflixed my signature.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

